Key messages
- Eating disorders are serious, complex and at times life-threatening mental illnesses, which have the potential to cause significant and wide-ranging quality of life impacts for both people with eating disorders, and their families, carers and supporters.
- The Victorian eating disorders strategy 2024-31 has been developed to respond to the increasing rates and impact of eating disorders on the Victorian community.
- Its goal is to reverse the upward trend by working to address the personal and social factors that influence eating disorders.
- The strategy represents a significant step for eating disorder prevention, early intervention and identification as well as treatment.
Defining eating disorders and disordered eating
The term ‘eating disorders’ refers to a range of illnesses that include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorders.
Eating disorders have varying levels of severity. The most severe eating disorders have relatively low prevalence but are serious mental illnesses that can have severe and potentially fatal physical impacts.
The term ‘disordered eating’ refers to a wide range of irregular and problematic eating behaviours that may include symptoms and behaviours typical of eating disorders, though at a milder frequency or lower intensity. While disordered eating may not always qualify as a clinically diagnosable condition, it can still have negative physical, emotional and psychological effects on a person’s health and wellbeing.
The Victorian eating disorders strategy 2024-31
The Victorian eating disorders strategy 2024-31 aims to create a care system that is centred on the needs of people with eating disorders, their families, carers and supporters. The aim is to build a system that is easy to navigate, has connected services and supports based on the best available evidence for people who need them, where they need them. It will be a system that helps prevent eating disorders, identifies and addresses issues early on and is designed and delivered with input from people who have experienced eating disorders themselves.
The strategy focuses on three key areas:
- prevention, information and early identification
- accessible, evidence-based eating disorder treatment through a stepped care model
- wellbeing and recovery supports.
By fulfilling the goals and implementing the actions outlined in the strategy, we will:
- reduce the prevalence of eating disorders
- enhance the early identification and intervention of eating disorders
- decrease the hospital admission rates for individuals with eating disorders
- promote health body image
- improve access to treatment and enhance treatment effectiveness
- support for families and caregivers
- improve data collection and recording
- enhance research innovation including research translation.
To promote accountability and action, the strategy is supported by rolling implementation plans. The Victorian eating disorders strategy – first implementation plan 2024-26 outlines the initiatives such as programs, services and policy changes to be delivered over the 2024-26 period.
Key evaluation milestones will help refine the strategy over time, based on community and sector feedback and available evidence.
Reviewed 05 October 2024